Hillcrest begins a grueling part of thier schedule this week where they play 10 games in the next 10 days. After their 3-1 defeat to Lebanon on Monday, the Hornets (3-4)  play everyday but April 11th, 13th, and 16th with double headers on the 11th, 12th  and 18th. Hillcrest will start the stretch with the Red & Blue Classic on Friday with games also on Saturday. Next week they face 3 conference opponents taking on Rolla Joplin and Glendale on the 14th 15th and 17th, respectively. Hillcrest will finish it out with a trip to Kansas at the River City Baseball Festival. They will play 2 games on the 18th at the University of Kansas and a game on the 19th at Community America Ballpark.  ***UPDATE***The Hornets lost three games in the Red and Blue Classic and fell to Rolla 6-0 on Monday. Loss to Joplin 10-5 on Tuesday. Hornets fell to Glendale 9-3 on Thursday. Loss three at the RCBF in Kansas.

The Hornets (2-3) will travel a total of over 350 miles to play their first 2 Ozark Conference games this week. On Tuesday they will travel to Waynesville (80+ miles one way) to take on the Tigers. Thursday they will drive up to play Rolla (just under 100 miles one way). Hillcrest will look to awake their bats after scoring 2 or fewer runs in 4 out of 5 games.  Chris Barratt (.455/.647/.636)  has been one of the lone offensive forces for the Hornets.***UPDATE***Tuesday game pushed back to Wednesday because of rain but Hillcrest still won 2-0 aided Barratt's 2-hit 16 strikeout performance. The Rolla games has been canceled due to the rain. It will be made up on April 14th.

Hillcrest is off to an impressive start to the season with a 2-1 record. Their only loss came to defending Arkansas state champion Fayetteville by a score of 3-2 in 8 innings. This week the Hornets face Republic Tuesday on the Hill at 4:30pm. Thursday they take on Lake Zurich from Illinois also on the Hill at 4:30pm.  On another note, The News-Leader has a nice article on our own Deven Hulse, who they bestow the "Heart of the Hornets".  ***UPDATE*** Hillcrest lost 5-1 to Republic, then fell to Lake Zurich by the score of 5-0.

Hillcrest will begin its 49th year of baseball this month and it looks as if the legacy will continue in 2008. The 8th victory of the year will be the 700th School Ball win. Thats not the only record to be set this year. Senior OF/P  Chris Barratt has a chance to re-write the record books this year. Barratt could set the mark for: # needed in ( ) Hits (31),  Singles(10), Base on Balls (11); Wins (2), Saves (2), Strikeouts (79) and Innings Pitched (9.1).  The Hornets will be led by 5 other seniors. C Jordan Wright looks to continue with upon last seasons success when he hit .338/.430/.392 (avg/obp/slg) and played tough defense behind the plate. 1B/P Ray Wood will be called upon to be an important offensive figure after a promising Legion campaign where he hit .339. OF Justin Lierz is another returning starter with a great glove in center field. OF Chad Rogers and 3B Chad Bentley also hope to build upon solid Legion seasons.

Juniors Jared Nagel, Deven Hulse, Tanner Counts, Ryan Buckner, and Troy Terrill all look to contribute to the successs of the team. Nagel, a three year starter, will be once again at shortstop with new middle infield mate Hulse who hit .301 in Legion ball last year. Counts, Buckner and Terrill will all vie for time in the outfield with Counts also spelling Wright behind the plate and Buckner also able to play all 4 infield positions as well.

Two sophomores are targeted to make an impact this Spring: OF/P's Josh Barratt and Mitch Jenkins. The left-handers could both see time in the outfield and on the mound for the Hornets. Barratt pitched very well for Hillcrest in Legion as a Freshman on the Varsity while hitting in the middle of the lineup. 
Hillcrest starts out March 17th hosting Rogersville, then a trip to Arkansas to take on Fayetteville and Springdale on Friday and Saturday, respectively. ***UPDATE*** Hillcrest won its season opener 2-0 against Rogersville on the strength of  Deven Hulse's 5 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit, 7 K's outing. Justin Lierz and Troy Terrill each had a hit and a run apiece for the Hornets. In Arkansas, Hornets lost to Fayetteville 3-2 and beat Springdale 21-8.

This year Hillcrest Baseball will host the first ever Hall of Fame weekend May 17 and18, 2008. This two-day event will start Saturday morning with a Golf Tournamnet at Bill and Payne Stewart Golf Course. The tournament begins at 8:00am (registration at 6:45am) with a four-person scramble. Saturday evening is the  induction cermony of the inagural class of Hillcrest Baseball's Hall of Fame. Slated for induction are legendary Hillcrest coach Dick Birmingham, George Frazier, Keith Drumright, and Bob Detherage. KY3's Steve Grant will emcee the event with special guest speaker and former New York Yankee Jerry Lumpe. The event will begin at 6:30pm at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center. Sunday will be a day of aches and pains as the Hillcrest Alumni Game will be hosted at Birmingham Field behind Hillcrest at 1:00pm to close out the busy weekend.

Hornet LHP/OF Chris Barratt recently agreed to attend Drury University and play baseball. Barratt will get a chance to reunite with former Hillcrest head coach Byron Hagler who is currently the pitching coach for DU. Last year Barratt hit .367 with a .529 On-base%. On the mound he was 6-1 with 1.09 ERA striking out 94 batters in just 58 innings and was selected on the All-Ozarks squad as a first team member.

Congratulations to the following players that were selected to participate in this years Freshman All-Star game. Chet Marquis led the Freshman Legion team in average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage posting a .468/.567/620 line. In the field Marquis had 8 outfield assists and 9 pick-offs on the mound. Micheal Esther batted .425 on the season with 17 RBI and caught all but three games for the Merchants throwing out 10 runners at a 37% clip.  Taner Huett was the catalyst for the Hillcrest Freshman playing in every game and batting lead-off for the Merchants. Huett led the team in runs (25), walks (20), hit by pitches (7),  stolen bases (22), and assists (34).

HillcrestBaseball.org would like to congratulate those who have made the annual All-Ozarks Baseball Team. This honor is compiled of southwest Missouri school in all four state classes combined onto one team. Chris Barratt won first-team honors as a pitcher with a 6-1 record 1.09 ERA and 94 K's in just 58 innings. Second-team is made up of two Hillcrest products. Andy Pfeifer had an outstanding year on the mound finishing 6-2 with a 2.39 ERA and 68 K's. Dan Grosdidier also makes an appearance on the second-team after leading the Hornets with a .377 average 5 2B, 8 RBI, and 9 SB.

After a nice 17-9 School Ball season Hillcrest is set to embark on a brand new season of Legion baseball. Although many faces on the team have changed, the Merchants are still looked upon to be one of the top teams in the area. Junior Jordan Wright leads the team into the season after a successful school ball campaign where he batted .338 and drove in a team leading 13 RBI.  The pitching includes staff ace Andy Pfeifer and  Josh Barratt who's 1.75 ERA was lowest of any Hillcrest pitcher playing Legion. 

Hillcrest (15-8, 7-2) will start district play this week with a 6:30pm game against Rolla on Monday. The Hornets come in winners of 5 straight and 7 of their last 8. They were handed a #3 seed in the district tournament despite big victories over  Lebanon, Rolla, Waynesville, and Ozark all of whom are in the same district.  In other news, congratulations to  Matt Thomas for winning the JV 'B' batting crown with a .514 average. The JV 'B' team finished 5-5 but had a +13 run differential.***UPDATE***Hillcrest fought through and won the first game of districts 5-4 against Waynesville. The Hornets beat the 2nd ranked Ozark Tigers to advance to the championship game on Thursday.  Hillcrest lost to Lebanon 10-6  to finish the school Ball season.

The Hornets (10-7, 6-1) begin the final stretch of the season this week with an Ozark Conference showdown with Kickapoo on Tuesday before traveling to Camdenton on Thursday.  The weekend will bring the start of the annual Big Stick Challenge matching the Ozark Conference versus the Central Ozark Conference. First, Hillcrest will take on Ozark on Saturday. Then, they will play Nixa Willard and Branson on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. These will be the final games before the start of district play on May 14th.***UPDATE***Hillcrest lost to Kickapoo 7-3 on Tuesday and was rained out on Thursday. The Hornets had a win over Ozark on Saturday by the score of 2-1 and beat Nixa 9-2 on Monday.  COC foe Willard fell to Hillcrest 4-2 on Tuesday with Camdenton losing 13-1 to the Hornets on Wednesday. Finishing up the regular season Hillcrest beat Branson 5-4 on Thursday.

After a busy week Hillcrest (8-7, 4-1) has only two games over the next nine days. First, they will travel Tuesday to West Plains to take on the Zizzers hoping to get back on the victory wagon. Then, Saturday the Hornets will play Parkview at Hammons Field, after a Springfield Cardinals game that starts at 2:10pm, before starting the final stretch of the season.***UPDATE***Hillcrest won 8-4 in a rain shortened game. Chris Barratt struck out 10 in 5 innings of work. The Hornets beat Parkview 3-2 on the back of Andy Pfeifer's 11 strikeouts to move to 6-1 in the conference.

The Hornets (7-3) start a ridiculously tough portion of the schedule this week. First up arch rival Joplin Eagles on Tuesday at 4:30 at Joplin. Either Hillcrest or Joplin has won the conference in each of the last 12 seasons. Thursday, Hillcrest will play at Glendale who is the only other undefeated team in the conference. Glendale was ranked in the Class 4 top ten by the Missouri coaches pre-season poll. The weekend will bring the River City Baseball Festival in Kansas. The Hornets will take on Shawnee Mission, KS at University of  Kansas' Hoglund Park on Friday at 8:00pm. Saturday, they will play 2006 Kansas State Champion Lawrence-Free State at 11:30am and Olathe East at 2:00pm with both games at the Community America Park in Kansas City, KS.***UPDATE***Hillcrest beats Joplin 4-2 in 9 innings. Jordan Wright was 3-4 w/ 2 RBI and Chris Barratt was 4-5 and threw a complete game striking out 16 and allowing no earned runs. On Thursday the Hornets lost to Glendale 12-1. Over the weekend Hillcrest was 0-3 dropping their record to 8-7.

Hillcrest (5-3) will kick off the annual Red and Blue Classic on Thursday facing three good teams in pool play before finishing Saturday in the championship round. First, Springfield Catholic will visit "The Hill" at 4:30pm Thursday. Friday will bring last year state champion Webb City Cardinals to play at 6:45pm. Saturday northern Greene County rival Willard will finish up the pool play at 11:45 then play the championship round later that day.***UPDATE***Hillcrest kicks off the Classic with a 2-1 victory over Catholic. The rest of the Classic has been canceled as of 4/13.

Hillcrest (3-3) will open up conference play on Tuesday hosting Waynesville at 4:30pm starting a string of three straight opponents from the Ozark Conference.  Thursday will bring the Rolla Bulldogs down for a 4:30 game on the Hill and on Tuesday, April 10 the Hornets will take on Lebanon again at 4:30 on the Hill. Hillcrest is still undefeated by all Missouri teams and looks to continue their success. Dan Grosdidier Leads the team in hitting  (.368) including 3 doubles. Andy Pfeifer has been the man on the mound striking out 23 in 17.0 innings while having a 0.82 ERA.***UPDATE***Hornets defeated Waynesville 4-0 on the back of  Chris Barratt's 6 inning, 2 hit, 12 K performance. On Thursday Hillcrest beat Rolla 4-2. Andy Pfeifer threw a complete game allowing 4 hits and striking out 8 also he was 2-3 with an RBI. Hillcrest completed the sweep of these conference games taking Lebanon 7-4. 

The Hornets (2-2)  face two tough challenges over the week of spring break. They will travel to The Barnhouse to play Republic at 4:30pm.  Then, on Wednesday, Hillcrest will have their home opener against Lake Zurich, IL. at 4:00pm. Next week they start conference play on Tuesday as they take on Waynesville at Home. Followed by hosting Rolla on Thursday.***UPDATE***Hornets fell to Lake Zurich 3-2 but defeated Republic 5-0.

The Hornets (1-0) will take a weekend trip to Arkansas to take on three tough teams and try to build on their season opening victory. On Friday, Hillcrest will play Ft. Smith Southside at 1pm in Fayetteville before taking on the home squad at 4pm. Saturday they will travel to Springdale to play them in a single game starting at 12pm.  For an itinerary and direction click here.  ***UPDATE*** Hillcrest finished the road trip 1-2, beating Ft. Smith but falling to nationally ranked Fayetteville and Springdale. The Hornets (2-2)  take on Republic and Lake Zurich, IL on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Hillcrest is set to kick-off their season opener today, weather permitting. The Hornets will take on the  Logan - Rogersville Wildcats in Rogersville at 4:30pm.  Senior  Andy Pfeifer  is set to start for Hillcrest after a  2006  season that saw him finish with a 2.59 ERA and 49 strikeouts in just 47 innings between  School Ball and Legion. Other seniors Blake Hanson, Dan Grosdidier, Adam Arnold, Jon Bundrick and Travis Gann will lead Hillcrest into the game today. ***UPDATE*** Hillcrest's Andy Pfeifer pitched a PERFECT GAME in his team's season-opening victory. Pfeifer struck out 11 in six innings while allowing no one to even reach first base in a 10-0 win at Rogersville.

The American Legion's Trivia Night was a tremendous success and the  program would like to thank all that participated in the event.  Of course, the team with two baseball and two football coaches won the event with an amazing score of 69 out of 80 questions. Congratualtions to Team 4 and good luck to all Hillcrest teams.  Better luck next time, Mr. Counts.

The American Legion program will hold its final cuts on Sunday, March 18 for all Rookie and Freshman participants. After the tryout, players who make the team will receive a packet with information on Legion baseball. If you have any questions please contact us at Legion@hillcrestbaseball.org.

The American Legion program will hold a Trivia Night on Saturday, March 17 at 6:00pm at the American Legion Post 69 (on the corner of Kimbrough and Trafficway). There will be a range of trivia questions to test your knowledge. For more information click here or email us at Legion@hillcrestbaseball.org. Richard Counts has already gone on record to say that he will have no chance at beating any of the coaches trivia teams and he will just feel lucky to be in the same room.

The Legion Board has announced tryouts for 7th, 8th and 9th grade boys starting Friday March 9th at 7:00pm for the Rookie and 'A' level legion teams.  There will be a short meeting that must  be attended by at least one parent/guardian before the start of tryouts. Tryouts will continue Saturday and Sunday with times to be announced.

February 26th is not far off, and the Hornets hope to have a repeat trip to the Final Four in Columbia. After losing five seniors, including the Ozark Conferences Pitcher and Player of the year Blake Wixson and Tyler Wright, it will be a tough journey. But the Hornets are not backing down under new Head Coach Ryan Schaffitzel. Hillcrest faces several tough opponents this spring including the reigning State Champions from Missouri (Webb City) and Kansas (Free State). Other tough competition include: Ft. Smith- AR, Fayetteville- AR, Lake Zurich- IL, Olathe- KS, and state power houses Ozark & Joplin.